Most of the recent generation of cable TV deployments utilize television set-top boxes that are also capable of receiving targeted text messages from the provider that are then displayed on the screens of the televisions associated with the boxes on the identified accounts.
An existing facility that incorporates on-screen messaging, and in many systems the only targeted on-screen messaging service in use, is the display of the Caller ID of incoming telephone calls to the cable company-provided telephone service usually associated with the same account. This application displays information for a very short time, typically less than a minute, and is not critical if it is not viewed, if the television is not turned on, or the viewer is not watching for any reason.
Other TV screen-based communications from the providers to their subscribers can be useful but, in most cases, these messages would be more critical and, to be assured of being viewed, would be displayed until the customer responds through a remote control action. Such messaging includes targeted and scheduled communications for customer care information, announcements of planned maintenance outages, announcements of new services that apply to the particular plan into which targeted accounts are enrolled, problems associated with the account (billing, etc.), and more.
The open loop arrangement by which the set-top box and associated television are interconnected (the set top box frequently has no signal that the television is powered off or has its input switched to another source such as a DVD player) causes a significant problem in the use of set-top box messaging for several critical situations. The television may be turned off or switched to another source and the to-be-displayed message from the set-top box will be presented to the unresponsive television and, therefore, will not be viewed. Alternatively, the television may be turned on and switched to the set-top box source but unwatched for, perhaps many hours, leaving the message unviewed.
Long term display of fixed information, such as text messages on the screen, will, in many types of televisions, cause burn-in where the text area becomes diminished in brightness for normal images and discolored and visible when the set is turned off. Consequently, the image cannot be left displayed for any significant length of time.
The set-top box remote control functions typically permit the viewer to cancel displayed messages. Thus, the message cannot remain displayed for very long while awaiting the viewer's response. When multiple messages are due for viewing by the targeted subscriber, the problem is compounded.
The above described problems have been recognized. Current solutions include a “message light”, an indicator that is located on the set-top box, itself. The subscriber then has an activation sequence on the remote control that will force the message onto the screen for viewing, that is, if the indicator is noticed and the remote control activated. The subscriber can re-activate the message viewing if the indicator remains on after viewing the first message in order to access additional messages. The deactivation of the display can be used as an acknowledgement that the message has been read.
Message flags implemented as indicators on set-top boxes are easily overlooked. Set-top boxes are often not oriented so that the indicator is visible. Cable subscribers often are not aware of the meaning of this additional indicator on the front panel of the set-top box.
What is required is an improved system and method for set-top-box messaging display.